The Orcish Warpath covers the history of the fall of Aul-Dwarov to the orcish hordes as they, led by Ducaniel, seize the Serpentspine and burn holds from Verkal Kozenad to Amldihr from 5998 BA to 5895 BA. The Orcish path and the their conflicts with the Dwarven Holds will be mentioned in this period.
Ducaniel's Campaign[]
Despite being created in 6000 BA by Ducaniel, it wouldn't be for another two years, in 5998 BA, that the first orcish horde would be spotted outside of Verkal Kozenad. With the hold facing destruction at the hands of the orcs, its king, Mufnir VII, surrenders to Ducaniel and promises to support him with supplies.
Moving on to Er-Natvir, Ducaniel marched on it from both the western and southern entrances in the year 5990 BA. In response to this threat, Ânumdihr collapsed the Escanni-Dwarovar tunnel to save themselves, cutting themselves off from the Serpentspine for thousands of years. Meanwhile, an orcish party had headed through the eastern tunnels and blocked Er-Natvir's northern gate, completely isolating them. As orcish forces worked to set up an encampment by the southern gate, King Mufnir betrayed Ducaniel and launched a surprise attack on the pre-occupied orcs. Initially winning due to the shock factor of the dwarven forces, it wouldn't be long until the vastly superior orcish numbers would overwhelm the Opal Dwarves and crush them.
Preoccupied with dwarven skirmishes and the logistics of the campaign, orcish forces faced a twenty year stagnation. With the rest of the campaign planned, Ducaniel, furious at King Mufnir's betrayal, was able to send a large host of orcs to wipe out the Opal Dwarf remnants in Verkal Kozenad in 5970 BA. To ensure he would not be caught without a rally point, Ducaniel was first forced to finish sieging Er-Natvir before being able to progress on his route. It wouldn't be until another 36 years, in 5934 BA, that the starving and ill-prepared forces of Er-Natvir would fall, allowing Ducaniel to split his forces between the Dwarovrod and Daginrod.
After the long siege of Er-Natvir, Ducaniel began to better understand the time it would take to siege the various holds. With this knowledge, Ducaniel left a moderate force of orcs to siege Mithradhûm in 5925 BA, enough to prevent them from interfering with his imminent attack on Amldihr but not enough to seize the hold. His Dagrinrod forces would march through the Amloz tunnel five years later in 5920 BA to besiege the Hall of the Ancestors, as the Dwarovrod forces marched through the Amlvaz tunnel to besiege Verkal Vazkron.
War for the King's Rock[]
Knowing Amldihr wouldn't fall to a traditional siege, due it being fed by the Serpent's Vale and abundant access to reinforcements from both Orlazam-az-dihr and Krakdhûmvror, Ducaniel spent the next two years devising a strategy to ensure victory. By 5918 BA the plan was prepared and Ducaniel sent a large host of orcs along the Dwarovrod and its caves along the eastern side to find a natural exit, unable to locate one they begin to make their own. Another orcish host was sent to block the roads to the west in order to prevent the remaining holds from interfering. With the tunnel nearing completion in 5915 BA, Ducaniel sent a party of orcs further up the Dagrinrod to distract Orlazam-az-dihr, harassing the hold and skirmishing with their rangers.
Breaking through into Vale just a year later in 5914 BA at what is now known as "Orcsbreach", the orcs poured out of the caves, being spotted nigh instantly by the dwarves from their various watchtowers. As the orcs moved south to pillage and burn the crops, the dwarven armies assembled to meet them, thus starting the Battles of the Serpent's Vale. Dwurim IX, the High King, sent his forces of mostly infantry and cannons, along with the Amldavhad itself, through the Southern Entrance to meet the orcs head on. Meanwhile, Hurnik XIV, King of Orlazam-az-dihr, sent his fabled Ram Riders led by renowned general Wolin Greybuckle west to attack the orcs from the north. The three armies clashed and the orcs were decimated in combat, pushed back to the caves and stragglers killed. The dwarves attempted to barricade the breach but were forced to abandon it after a larger host of orcs attacked from the breach. Exhausted, the dwarves were unable to resist and retreat with considerable losses. The Amldavhad held the line, allowing Amldihr forces to retreat to their hold while the Ram Riders, demoralized by the death of Wolin Greybuckle, flee back to Orlazam-Az-Dihr. With the retreat of the dwarven forces, the orcs are able to besiege Verkal Vazkron from the Southern Entrance in 5910 BA without resistance. It is noted that this moment represents a tipping point, where the ever-increasing numbers of the orcs led to Ducaniel slowly losing control.
Battle of Amldihr[]
In 5895 BA, the final battle for Amldihr would begin. While the orcs broke through the gates of Verkal Vazkron, the western holds of Khugdihr, Ovdal Asra, and Haraz Orldhûm joined forces, putting aside past grievances, to mount a saving of Amldihr. As the western forces overcame the barricades and garrisons that Ducaniel placed to keep the flank secure, High King Dwurim IX and King Hurmik XIV prepared their own armies from within Amldihr. King Hurnik sent his fastest ram rider north to Krakdhûmvror to request aid, though their Clan Council, led by Thorar Trollslayer, was hesitant to send out its forces. They believed that even if the entire Dwarovar fell, they would stand. In the end, worried that history would remember them as betrayers or cowards, the Grim Legion of Krakdhûmvror clad in Ice-Steel would not march north to fight the old giants of yore, but south, to save an empire that had shunned them. With the Grim Legion on the way, the Battle for Amldihr truly began. Remnants of Kronium and Ramsteel armies sally out of Amldihr and meet the orcs head on in Verkal Vazkron, trapping the orc armies. In major part due to the Grim Legion, by the day's end every orc that had stepped foot in Verkal Vazkron lay dead. To the dismay of the dwarves, an even larger orcish horde quickly approached, retaking the Amlvaz tunnel and trapping the western armies in Verkal Vazkron. Whilst the armies engaged, the orcs in the east had managed to finally overcome the Hall of the Ancestors and barely six months after the fall of Verkal Vazkron, and the death of the Grim legion, the orcs were directly assaulting Amldihr proper.
By 5888 BA, the orcs broke into Amldihr through Verkal Vazkron and the Hall of the Ancestors with ease, with little to no defenders left to hold them back. Overtaking the Amlharaz from within Amldihr itself, the orcs had achieved full control over the King's Rock and the crushing defeat of Aul-Dwarov. Ducaniel, having lost control over a majority of the orcs due to their innumerable quantity, attempted to keep the loyalty of what orcs did still follow him by shattering the Dwarovkron and gifting it to them. Ultimately, this would backfire as the orcs now saw themselves as conquerors.
Having completed his objective, Ducaniel departed back for Aelantir in 5880 BA with what treasures and knowledge he had gained, leaving the orcs to their own devices.